Continuous Wear Contact Lenses

I started on rigid gas permiables when I was 12 until about 32 when they started to dry my eyes out.

I then wore glasses for a couple of years before looking at contact lenses again.

I now wear the monthly disposables from specsavers. Put them in and leave them for a month inclusing sleeping. Absolutely fantastic - you forget they are in and seeing first thing in a morning is great!

I did contemplate laser sugery but was advised that it's unlikely to last more that 10 years anyway before it's likely I would need glasses again.

One tip - Specsavers charge £18 per month and you get your supplies every 3 months. If you cancel the solutions it comes down to £15 per month - I had a huge stockpile of them before I learned this! I rarely use the solutions so it was a waste.
 
Been wearing mine for about 7 years now. Brilliant. Never had any issues with them, very comfortable. I sometimes forget I have them on. Haven't worn my glasses for years now. Couldn't go without these lenses.

I'm using Ascend Premier Comfilcon, and my optician charges very reasonably. I'm paying £8.50/m. Includes lenses (obviously), solution and checkups (scheduled and emergency).
 
Jonny69 said:
I still can't get my head round these. The first 10 years of my contact lens wearing life they told me that overwearing contact lenses and sleeping in them was bad, mkay. If I ever slept in mine I'd wake up with eyes glued closed or a contact lens stuck to my face somewhere. I still can't get my head round how you can wear them for a whole month with no adverse effects :p
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They're more breathable and made up of a different composition so remain comfortable for longer.
I absolutely love mine, I don't think in themselves they are any worse for your eyes, it's just that you've got them in all the time, so if you get exposed to an infection or something then it will be until you notice before they get cleaned. As they carry a higher risk of infection for that reason it is advised that you have regular aftercare checks even if you buy them online.
 
Well I tried them. I was advised to wear them for a couple of hours first then take them out, the next day wear them all day and do the same then the following day sleep in them.

They sting my eyes like hell when I first put them in but that soons goes away. They didn't feel too comfortable at all after sleeping in them and to be honest made my eyes look like **** holes in the snow.
 
I'd love to try the long term wear lenses, but my eyes are seemingly too wonky :)

I've just been fighting a little with specsavers, I changed branches when I moved, and they supplied lenses that I couldn't wear for more then 4 hours without drying out and being really uncomfortable, they didn't really want to, but I asked them to get my original lenses in, I can wear them 12+ hours, never with any issues!
Then the buggers changed the solutions on me, I had the green topped bottles, but they stopped those, giving me the 'vastly superior' generic solution, it made my eyes sting so badly in the mornings, I couldn't drive to work for nearly an hour...

I guess everyone's eyes are different, I hope they do start catering for heavier prescriptions in these newer lenses!
 
Interesting reading as I'm off soon to re-try contacts after my first attempt failed miserably in the opticians with most of the contacts ending up on the floor. I gave up and just settled for reading glasses for occasional use.

Fast forward to last week where I had a consultation for laser - they rang me this morning to say that the surgeons wouldn't be happy to treat me as I am borderline. I'm +3.25 but they reckon will be +5 with age so they recommended waiting a while and then trying the implanted lenses.

I think I'll put on an appointment at specsavers and see what they say. I'm constantly at a screen or reading something close up so will need something that doesn't dry out my eyes quickly.
 
ringo747 said:
Interesting reading as I'm off soon to re-try contacts after my first attempt failed miserably in the opticians with most of the contacts ending up on the floor. I gave up and just settled for reading glasses for occasional use.

Fast forward to last week where I had a consultation for laser - they rang me this morning to say that the surgeons wouldn't be happy to treat me as I am borderline. I'm +3.25 but they reckon will be +5 with age so they recommended waiting a while and then trying the implanted lenses.

I think I'll put on an appointment at specsavers and see what they say. I'm constantly at a screen or reading something close up so will need something that doesn't dry out my eyes quickly.
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Doesn't +3.25 mean you're long-sighted? Or have I got those confused?
 
Hmm - very encouraging reading. Ive been wearing contacts for 16 years now from the awful rub-in-solution-every-night-soak-for-x-hours ones to daily disposables that i have now. Ive always considered continuous wear contact just simply too good to be true. There HAS to be a catch, right?

What about the moment you wake up? Surely you can feel them then and need to give your eyes a rub? what about when youre tired?

might give them a go if they really are as good as they sound!
 
I used to use the continuous wear ones but stopped after the optician said I was getting scratches on my eyes.

I think it is because I suffer from bad hayfever for about a month each summer, the pollen has no where to go so irritates your eyes more.
 
i spoke to my optician about continuous wear lenses, and he did not recommend them.

tear fluid provides a vital function to clear away dead cells, if you continuously wear lenses then this function is considerably diminished which leads to eye irritations and possible infection...
 
I've never tried them but I did wear contact lenses every day for years and now I have small red lines on the whites of my eyes because of this. They're caused by a lack of oxygen to the eyes because the lenses don't allow for your eyes to breathe properly when wearing them. I've now bought a pair of specs to wear for part of the week and I can feel the difference already. My eyes feel much better now although the damage that has been done is irrepairable :(
 
I think that is what the newer gas permeable lenses are for - to allow the eyes to breath properly. I'm sure the latest technology has gone a long way.

I'm disappointed that laser wasn't suitable but then again I was quoted £4k.
 
Just update from my previous post - went today to see about contacts and am back home with a trial set which I had absolutely no problem getting in and out. Really pleased to say the least. It was amazing driving home with no glasses. Even more happy that I didn't need to spend 4k on laser.

I asked about the continuous wear ones but they said they don't recommend until I'm well used to contacts so around 6 months time.

All in all very nice experience at Specsavers. The last time I tried contacts 5 years ago most of them ended up on the floor. Very fit optometrist helped too!

/Boring personal story.
 
Bit of an update from my last post. Generally I am loving the contacts so far - it's great being able to do without glasses but I am finding they are horrible to wear in work in an air conditioned environment.

Does anyone else have the same problem? I have the Irisian lenses from Specsavers but I'm going to have to ask for something more 'breathable'.

Does air con affect others?
 
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